The scene of an overturned freight train car, west of the Wyandanch LIRR station, on Monday morning, March 30, 2015. Photo Credit: James Carbone

The scene of an overturned freight train car, west of the Wyandanch LIRR station, on Monday morning, March 30, 2015. (Credit: James Carbone)

Massive damage to the LIRR train communications system was uncovered Tuesday when crews finished cutting up and removing a freight car that had derailed Sunday, the railroad said, resulting in anticipated problems with the morning commute.

Delays of up to 25 minutes on the Ronkonkoma line are expected east of Hicksville during Wednesday morning's rush hour because some parts of the signal...

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Massive damage to the LIRR train communications system was uncovered Tuesday when crews finished cutting up and removing a freight car that had derailed Sunday, the railroad said, resulting in anticipated problems with the morning commute.

Delays of up to 25 minutes on the Ronkonkoma line are expected east of Hicksville during Wednesday morning's rush hour because some parts of the signal system will have to be made "from scratch," said Salvatore Arena, spokesman for the Long Island Rail Road.

"Unfortunately, the extent of the damage only became crystal clear after the derailed car was removed and we peeled away the crush of wires and machinery," he said. "The infrastructure loss -- you can't buy that stuff off the shelf. It has to be rebuilt from scratch, wire by wire, installed and tested.

When it derailed, the car knocked down a utility pole carrying system wires affecting three grade crossings, LIRR officials said. Rail workers and police supervised traffic there until repairs were done Tuesday, Arena said.